We've all used the sponge and
paint technique. This one uses brushes and watercolors. You can
even use the pan sets that your kids might have around the
house.
Materials:
Watercolors--in tubes or pans.
Heavy-weight paper--at least cardstock
Old plastic shower curtain or something to protect the table
Containers for water
Large plastic lids or watercolor palette
Procedure
Cover the table with the plastic, fill the water
containers, and lay out the paper.
Below, you see a stack of paper, but of course, you will work with one
sheet at a time.
So put the rest of that stack aside!
First, dampen the paper. Expect some curling and buckling.
Don't worry about it right now.
Add just enought water to your paint to make it easy to push
around. Below, I am covering
the entire sheet with a background of yellow. In the areas where
you plan to put actual words,
you'll want to keep the paper light, and the patterns to a
minimum.
Next, I decide to add a top border. Right now, the paper doesn't look
like much, but as
the late Helen Van Wyk used to say, does a bowl of cake batter look
like the cake?
Do not succumb to frustration.
When lifting your brush out of the water, you will need to make use of
your paper towels.
Hmmm....This border is beginning to remind me of mildew, so I'll put in
some red, and work
with it. I will not succumb.
Below, I have played around with the red, and now I'll add some
blue. Later, I decide to
paint a heart in the lower right-hand corner. Don't be afraid to
experiment.
When you have finished, go away and let the paper dry. You may want to
place it on a towel.
The paper will now have a different texture. It reminds me of
parchment.
If it is entirely too curly, an INTELLIGENT ADULT can put it inside a
pillow case and go over it with a cool iron. While
it's still warm, place it on a flat surface, and put a heavy book on
top. Be sure to unplug the iron.
Results are below. The one on the left is the illustrated
project.
See more of Lenora's art at
LouisianaPainter.com.
